Field studies were conducted from 1992 to 1996 to select the most effective sex pheromone blend for mating disruption of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), in tree fruit orchards in Washington. Dispensers loaded with a 2-component pheromone blend, (Z)-1l-tetradecen-1-yl (Zll-14:0Ac) and (E)-1l-tetradecen-1-yl (Ell-14:0Ac), a 3-component blend that included the addit...

Remote sensing techniques can decrease pest monitoring costs in orchards. To evaluate the feasibility of detecting spider mite damage in orchards, we measured visible and near infrared reflectance of 1153 leaves and 392 canopies in 11 peach orchards in California. Pairs of significant wavelengths, identified by Partial Least Squares regression, were combined into normalized difference indices. ...

The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) is potentially a predator of a number of insect pests in apple orchards. However, its effectiveness as a natural enemy in apple orchards may be compromised by insecticide sprays. A laboratory bioassay of eight insecticides currently used in Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) apple orchards and one as-yet unregistered product was undertaken to determine...

We studied the timing of reproductive maturity of cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew), a key pest of sweet and tart cherries in the eastern United States. To determine when cherry fruit fly females become reproductively mature in managed and natural habitats, we deployed traps in sweet and tart cherry orchards and nearby stands of the ancestral host tree, black cherry. Flies were remo...

In New York State, a large number of both native and introduced insect and mite species attack apples grown in commercial apple orchards. Control of this pest complex is particularly challenging, because unlike the more arid apple production regions on the West Coast, apple orchards in N.Y. are commonly in close proximity to semi-wooded areas having an abundance of wild apple and hawthorn speci...

Benefiting from historically favorable conditions (e.g. low costs, fertile land, and abundant water), pistachio producers in Rafsanjan, Iran, have flourished, with orchards production growing dramatically since the 1970s. Today, however, enormous increase water consumption associated has severely depleted groundwater aquifers, causing widespread shortages region. In this article, we develop a c...